Nocturnal is the third studio album by American melodic death metal band the Black Dahlia Murder. It was released through Metal Blade Records on September 18, 2007, and is the band's first album to feature bassist Bart Williams, who replaced Dave Lock, and drummer Shannon Lucas. It is also the last album to feature longtime guitarist John Kempainen. It is widely regarded by fans and critics as the band's magnum opus.
The name of the second track "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", is taken from the name of the band's debut demo release of the same name, which in turn is a quote from the 1988 video game '; the song is featured on the soundtrack for the video game Saints Row 2 and as downloadable content for Rock Band. Kristian WÃÂ¥hlin did the cover art for the album. The end of the song "Nocturnal" features an audio clip from the 1987 film The Monster Squad. The song "Deathmask Divine" appears to be inspired by both the story of Carl von Cosel and the 1979 Italian horror film Beyond the Darkness.